


Better than a Dream

by amandateaches



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Djinnverse (Supernatural), F/M, Reader-Insert, but he doesn't really die, dean kills himself to escape djinn dream, possible suicide trigger warning, there's a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-15 05:46:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16927575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amandateaches/pseuds/amandateaches
Summary: Dean gets trapped in a fantasy created by a djinn. Will the fantasy help him realize the truth about his feelings for the reader before it’s too late?





	Better than a Dream

**Author's Note:**

> This was based around a quote from the movie Leap Year. The quote was "Well, when my 60 seconds came around, I realized I had everything I ever wanted, but nothing I really needed. And I think that what I need is here. And I came all this way to see if maybe you might think so too."

“Dean, these burritos are amazing! I mean, I knew you made great burgers, but I never knew you could make such amazing Mexican food!”

Dean leaned down to whisper gruffly in Y/N’s ear, his breath tickling her in the process. “I’m a man of many talents, Y/N.”

“Oh, I’m sure you are,” she whispered back suggestively, drawing a laugh out of him. They stood up and made their way over to the sink with the dishes, laughing and nudging each other as they went. When they got there, Dean reached around Y/N to grab a towel, but she got to it first and held it just out of reach, laughing as she did. He looked at her menacingly before moving in to tickle her until she doubled over with laughter and surrendered, handing him the towel.

They were so caught up in their own little world, they didn’t even notice when the sound of Dean’s ringing phone started drifting in from the other room. They also didn’t notice Sam giving in with a roll of his eyes and getting up to answer it, sighing as he did. “Man, those two couldn’t be any more obvious….”

As he left to answer the phone, Y/N and Dean finished the dishes. When they were done, they moved into the library where they found Sam waiting for them. “Hey,” he said, turning to face them. “Bobby called.”

“Oh yeah?” Y/N asked, moving away from Dean and flopping down into a chair. She curled her foot underneath her and crossed her arms across her midsection. “What’d he say?”

“You know how he took that case over in London?” Sam paused and waited for two of them to nod before continuing. “Well, apparently, it’s gone a little sideways. He might need a little help.”

Dean froze, his whole body tensing and his heart pounding. “Bobby needs help? In London?!”

“Yes,” Sam said carefully and calmly, sensing Dean’s growing panic. “But, Y/N and I can handle it. You should stay.”

“Yeah,” Y/N echoed, moving to stand by Dean’s side. She reached out and touched his arm, instantly calming his racing heartbeat. “Or, better yet, I’ll fly out there by myself and Sam can stay here too. I’m sure Bobby and I can handle whatever it is. We don’t need the whole team.”

“Yeah, okay,” Dean said. He took a deep breath. “That sounds like a good plan. You fly to London and we stay here. On the ground. Where they aren’t any planes. Yeah. Good.”

“Good,” Y/N whispered, with a smile. “I’ll go pack.”

“Okay.” Dean returned her smile as he watched her walk out of the room. He turned back to Sam, who was watching him with a smile. “What?”

“Nothing,” Sam replied with a laugh and a shake of his head.

Dean frowned and crossed his arms. “What, Sammy?”

“Nothing!” Dean’s glare deepened, pushing Sam to give in. “It’s just you and Y/N.”

“What about me and Y/N?” he growled.

“It’s just nice to see the two of you together. That’s all. You both deserve to be happy.”

Dean shook his head and raised his eyebrows in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about, Sammy?”

“Hey, you don’t have to get all defensive about it. It’s ok. I love Y/N. If the two of you want to be together….”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dean yelled, putting his hands up in the air. “Y/N and I aren’t ‘together’. We’re just friends.”

Sam smiled knowingly. “Oh sure, Dean. So, you’re really going to pretend that that thing in the kitchen was just two friends?”

“Yes!”

Sam continued to smile as he sat down at the table in front of his laptop. “Whatever you say, Dean. But, just so you know, even though Y/N and I are best friends, she’s never acted that way with me.”

Dean opened his mouth but closed it again right away. He couldn’t argue that he didn’t have feelings for Y/N, because of course he did. How could he not? She was gorgeous. But, more than that, she was smart, caring, thoughtful, and…perfect. Y/N was perfect. Way too perfect for a guy like him.

“Sammy, nothing is going on between Y/N and me. She’s amazing, yeah, but I’m, well, I’m me.”

Sam looked up from his computer, understanding and compassion filling his eyes. “Dean…”

“Look, I tried that relationship thing once,” Dean said, his face falling. “It didn’t work out. I’m not going to risk putting Y/N through the same thing just because I’m attracted to her.”

“Dean, you’re more than just attracted to her. Besides, you deserve to be happy. You both do. Don’t you want that?”

Dean drew in a breath and let it out roughly. Then he lifted his chin with resolve. “I have everything I want, Sammy. An awesome house, great wheels, good friends, and all the beer and pie I can eat. What more could I ask for?”

He turned away before Sam could argue the point further. He and Y/N were just fine the way they were. He didn’t want or need anything more from her. He couldn’t.

But, no matter how much he told himself that, there’s was always a little voice in the back of his head that wondered if he would ever truly believe it.

Y/N had been in London for two days, and Sam and Dean were already going stir crazy without her. She had become such a big part of both of their lives over the years that it felt strange not having her around. Almost foreign. So, they did what they always did when they needed a distraction: they found a case.

“So what’re we thinking?” Dean asked, as he cruised the Impala down the road. “Vamp nest?”

Sam looked down at the papers he was holding in his hands. “No bite marks. I’m thinking more like a Djinn.”

Dean shuddered. “Those blue man group knockoffs? Seriously?” he asked, looking over at Sam for confirmation.

Sam laughed gently. “Yeah, all signs point to it.”

“Fan-freaking-tastic….” Dean grumbled. “So, we’re looking for a dark, creepy warehouse like last time?”

“Maybe, maybe not. There’s some caves outside town. The djinn could be there.”

“Back to basics. I like it,” Dean declared. He stepped a little harder on the accelerator. “Well, let’s go put that genie back in its bottle.”

Two hours later, Sam and Dean were standing just inside the cave entrance, holding silver knives dipped in lambs blood. They were facing two different tunnels, both of them leading deeper into the cave.

Dean turned to Sam and grinned. “Pick your poison, Sammy. Left or right?”

Sam gestured towards the tunnel on the left. “I’ll take this one and you can take the other one. We’ll meet back here in 20 minutes.”

Dean nodded and started towards the tunnel on the right, but he stopped and turned back when Sam called his name. “Dean? Be safe.”

Dean nodded again, more soberly this time. “You too, Sammy.”

With that last little bit of familiar reassurance, they both took off, heading down the tunnels with their knives at the ready. Dean moved more slowly, remembering what had happened last time they faced a djinn. He measured each step down the dirt-covered pathway, his eyes scanning the darkness for any threats. He had almost made it to the turn at the end of the tunnel when he heard a scream coming from back where he’d started.

“Sam!” Dean yelled. He pivoted in a half-circle to run back down the passageway, but, before he could, he was hit from the side by something strong and solid. It knocked the breath right out of him and the knife right out of his hand. Before he could recover, the figure was on him, pressing its hands to his face. He just barely made out a tattooed arm and a steady blue glow before everything went black.

Dean woke up, breathing heavily, and looked around. He was lying in a bed in what he recognized as his and Lisa’s old bedroom. “What the hell?” he whispered.

He stood up from the bed and grabbed a pair of jeans off the floor. He pulled them on before adding a Led Zeppelin t-shirt he somehow knew would be in the nearby dresser. Once he was dressed he sat down on the edge of the bed to think.

“So, the djinn gave me back my life with Lisa. Well, joke’s on him,” he muttered with determination. “I was over Lisa a long time ago. It’ll be easy to leave this ‘fantasy’ life behind.”

He made his way out the door and down the stairs. He figured that the kitchen would have some knives that would make breaking out of this dream easy. One quick stab and he’d be back in that cave with Sam. Piece of cake.

His “piece of cake” plan went out the window the second he got to the kitchen and saw the familiar figure standing behind the counter with her back to him. It wasn’t Lisa: it was Y/N.

“Y/N?” he choked out, shock overwhelming him.

She whirled around and gifted him with one of her heart-stopping smiles. “Hey, babe. About time you woke up.”

“Babe?” he asked. What the hell was going on?

A thousand scenarios were running through Dean’s head, but none of them foresaw what Y/N was going to do next: she walked right up to him and kissed him with all the passion he had only dreamt she felt for him. His knees nearly buckled.

Once he had a chance to recover, he took control. He used his whole body to push Y/N backwards, not stopping until she was pressed up against the counter. He lifted her up and onto the edge, groaning at the sexy moan she emitted. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer, the passion building between them until it was scorching him. He ran his hand up her thigh and under the edge of her shirt. The feel of the soft skin there against his rough hand made him groan again, deeper this time. He pushed himself closer to her, his hands moving higher, before the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him made him stop.

He reluctantly pulled away from Y/N and spun around, shocked to find Sam standing there. “Sammy?”

“Hey, Dean. Sorry to, uh, interrupt. I just need to borrow my sister-in-law for a second.”

“Oh, God, Sam, I forgot,” Y/N muttered. She turned to Dean. “I promised Sam that I’d help him with some research for his doctoral thesis. I just have to go grab the printouts.” She smoothed her hair back down and hopped off the counter, giving Dean a quick kiss. “I’ll be right back and, then, we can pick up where we left off.”

He stared after Y/N as she bounded out of the room, his mouth hanging open in surprise. Sister-in-law? He and Y/N were married?! What the HELL was going on?

Sam looked at him quizzically, taking in his expression, and laughed. “You ok, man? You’re looking at Y/N really strangely.”

Dean shook his head and hid the confusion on his face. “Uh, yeah. Just a weird morning, that’s all.”

Sam was about to probe further when Y/N came back into the room with the papers. She started to talk to Sam, giving Dean the opportunity to look a little closer at her without either of them noticing. She was stunning, even more so than usual. She had her hair swept behind her shoulder, her gorgeous smile lighting up the entire room. She looked effortlessly beautiful, carefree, and….happy.

As if she could sense his gaze, she looked over at him and winked. It was in that moment that his whole world came into focus: he was the reason she was so happy. She was smiling because of him, she was happy because of him. Because they were together, because they were married.

But, it wasn’t real. None of this was. His heart dropped. She wasn’t smiling for him. She wasn’t even real. That wasn’t his Y/N. But, that didn’t stop him for wanting to hold her close and never let her go.

A few minutes later, Sam said goodbye and left, freeing up Y/N to turn towards him. “Now, where were we?” she whispered seductively as she made her way over to him.

She reached out to him, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. “Y/N, wait.”

“What is it?” she asked, bringing her other hand up to draw little circles on his chest, momentarily distracting him.

He took a deep breath to will himself to focus and looked down at her. “Y/N, this is all wrong.”

She stopped drawing the circles and met his gaze, concern in her eyes. “What do you mean wrong?”

“I mean this. All of this,” he yelled, gesturing at the house around him, “it’s all wrong. None of it’s real.”

“Dean, what are you talking about?”

He took her hands and squeezed them gently. “Y/N, I know this is going to sound crazy, but this whole thing, this house, this world, none of it is real. It’s just a fantasy a djinn put me in.”

Y/N raised her eyebrows. “A djinn?”

“Yeah. It’s like a second-rate genie. An evil second-rate genie.”

“A genie?” she asked uncertainly.

“Yes. And, he created this world to trap me so that he could kill me. I’m in danger every second I stay here.”

“Okay…let’s say I believe you,” she said cautiously, pulling her hands from his. “In this world of yours, do I exist?”

“Yes. We’ve worked together for years.”

She raised her eyebrows again. “Are we married?”

“No. We’re, uh, we’re just friends.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Why?”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me, Winchester. Why aren’t we together? We love each other, don’t we?”

Dean shook his head and ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “It’s complicated, Y/N. Our life is different there. Riskier. Our job doesn’t leave a lot of room for happy endings.” 

“Dean, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He sighed. “Look, I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I just need you to trust me.”

“Okay.”

“Y/N, please….Wait. What’d you say?”

She smiled. “I said, okay. I may not know what the heck you’re talking about, but I love you and trust you. And, if you’re in danger, I’ll do whatever I can to help you. So, how do we stop this, what’d you call it? A gin?”

A menacing voice boomed out from behind Y/N, startling both of them. “You don’t.”

Dean reacted with lightning speed, pushing Y/N behind him so his body blocked her from the man standing in the doorway. “Let me guess. You’re the djinn here to protect your little fantasy world with some cliche threats. How original.”

The man smiled darkly and walked closer. Dean slowly backed up as he advanced, guarding Y/N as he did so. “It’s more than just a simple threat, Dean. You’re not getting out of here. Besides, why would you want to? I’ve given you the perfect world.”

Dean felt Y/N’s hand touch his back, and he thought of the real Y/N, his Y/N. It gave him the push he needed and he laughed. “You think this is perfect? Ha! Somebody has an inflated opinion of themselves. That bed wasn’t even memory foam!”

The man rolled his eyes. “Stop with the deflection, Dean. You’re not going to be able to distract me with a bunch of corny one-liners.” Suddenly, a clap of thunder boomed outside, shaking the entire house. “This is my reality. I control it, not you.”

“Not for long,” Dean growled. “All I have to do is kill myself, and then you have no power.”

Panic flashed in the djinn’s eyes before he covered it back up with pride. “But, why would you want to? Here, you and Y/N can be together. You can live out your lives happily. Why would you want to give that up?”

Dean felt Y/N’s hand tighten around his shirt. “Because it’s not real. But, you’re right about one thing: my perfect life is with Y/N. My Y/N. And, I’m going to do whatever I need to do to get back to her.”

He rushed forward and tackled the djinn, throwing him against a wall and knocking him out. When he turned back around, Y/N was standing in front of him, holding a kitchen knife. Before he could question her, she held it out to him, handle first. “Take it.”

“What are you doing?”

She smiled and walked up to him, taking his hand and placing the knife in it. “I believe you now. And, if what you said is true, that means I’m not real. But there’s a real version of me out there, right?” Dean nodded. “And, you love her? Real me, I mean.” Dean nodded again, drawing a relieved smile out of her. “Then, do it. And, when you get back to your world, I want to find me. Find us. Because, I love you, Dean, and I bet real me does too.”

Dean smiled and leaned down to give her one last kiss. He could hear the djinn stirring behind him, so he knew he needed to act fast. “I love too, Y/N. I promise you that I’m not gonna waste any more time.”

With one last look into her beautiful eyes, Dean found the strength he needed to thrust the knife into his chest, plunging the world back into darkness.

When Dean came to, he was still lying in the cave’s tunnel, with the djinn standing over him. “It’s impossible,” the djinn whispered. “No one’s ever gotten out so fast.”

“Yeah?” Dean growled, propping himself up on his elbow. “Well, don’t I feel special.”

He rolled onto his stomach, using his momentum to propel himself over to where his silver knife laid, in the same place it had been knocked to in the fight. Before the djinn could stop him, he flipped up into a crouch and stabbed the knife right into the djinn’s heart, killing it instantly. He pushed the dead body away before standing up fully and wiping his hands on his jeans.

“Dean!” Sam’s frantic cry sounded from somewhere in the distance.

“Over here!”

Sam’s hurried footsteps grew closer until he finally appeared around the corner. “Dean! What happened?”

“The djinn got me.”

Sam looked him over quickly before addressing him. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t under very long. But….”

“But, what?”

He grinned again. “I’m gonna need to use your computer. I’ve got a ticket I need to buy.”

Y/N was sitting on the bed in her hotel room in London, thumbing through some brochures the hotel had provided. She wasn’t particularly interested in anything she was finding, but she was bored and she had nothing better to do.

She and Bobby had wrapped up the case a few hours ago, and he had flown out right afterwards. But, there weren’t any flights back to Kansas until the morning, so she was stuck here for one more night. She had originally reveled in having a night alone without any men taking up her space, but, after ordering room service and taking a bath, she had run out of fun things to do. So, now, she was just sitting there, looking at boring brochures.

She was about to give up and turn on some trash TV when a knock sounded at her door. She wasn’t expecting anyone, so she grabbed her gun off the nightstand and cautiously approached the door. “Who is it?”

“Y/N, it’s Dean. Open up.”

“Dean?” she whispered skeptically under her breath. She stashed her gun but pulled her holy water from her pocket before she opened the door. As soon as she did, she surprised Dean by throwing holy water right into his face.

“Hey!” he yelled loudly. He sputtered and wiped the water off his face.

“Sorry,” she whispered, flashing him an apologetic smile. “But, you can never be too careful.” She opened the door wider to let him in. “What are you doing here, Dean?”

“I needed to talk to you,” he said, brushing past her and heading towards the middle of the room.

“In London? Dean, you’re afraid of flying.”

“It couldn’t wait.” He turned around and faced her, surprising her with the intensity in his gaze. “I was attacked by a djinn.”

“Wait, what?” Y/N yelled, her eyes widening. She moved closer to him. “What happened? Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine,” he said with a smile. “But, being trapped in that djinn reality made me realize something important about my life.” He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him gently. “About our life.”

She held her breath and stared up at him, her heart beating faster. “Y/N, I’m in love with you.”

“You’re…you’re what?” she stammered, completely shocked at what she had just heard. She had to grip tighter onto his hand just to stay standing.

“I’m in love with you, Y/N. Before this happened, I thought I could ignore it. I thought we’d both be better off staying friends, but I can’t ignore it anymore. When I was faced with the choice to stay in the djinn reality or leave it, I had to make a quick decision: to stay in the life I’d always wanted or to come back here to you.”

“And, you came back?”

Dean grinned. “Well, when my 60 seconds came around, I realized I had everything I ever wanted, but nothing I really needed. And I think that what I need is here. And I came all this way to see if maybe you might think so too.”

“You took a plane all the way here just to tell me that?”

“Y/N, I love you. I’d take ten planes if that’s what it took to be with you.”

Y/N smiled and moved closer to Dean, placing her hands on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, leaning his head down towards hers. “I love you, too, Dean,” she whispered before their lips met, solidifying their commitment to each other. And, no matter how passionate his fantasy kiss with Y/N had been, it didn’t compare to this. This kiss lived up to all of Dean’s dreams. It made his legs nearly buckle all over again. Nothing could beat the real Y/N. Nothing at all.


End file.
